History Music / GunfighterBalladsAndTrailSongs

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Rosa's Cantina is a real place in El Paso. Not surprisingly, it gained a lot of fame after Robbins sang about it.

* {{BFG}}: The titular Big Iron.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: In "Big Iron", Texas Red isn't very impressed with the nameless ranger, having killed 20 other men before him and convinced he'll just be the 21st. He learns to his fatal regret he shouldn't have pushed his luck.

** The nameless ranger in "Big Iron". Even the fearsome Texas Red can't get his gun out of the holster before the ranger drops him.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: The unnamed Arizona Ranger is this to the outlaw Texas Red. While Texas Red was notorious for having killed the previous 20 men who tried to take him, even he is unable to unholster his gun before the Ranger shoots him dead in a QuickDraw.
* AssumedWin: In "Big Iron", Texas Red already easily killed 20 men who tried to arrest him in the past-- thanks to his extreme sharpshooting skills. The citizens of Agua Fria assumed that this Arizonan Ranger was going to be another casualty-- the 21st kill; instead, the Ranger's quickdraw was so fast and precise that Texas Red was killed instantly before the latter could even draw his gun.

* AssumedWin: In "Big Iron", Texas Red already easily killed 20 men who tried to arrest him in the past-- thanks to his extreme sharpshooting skills. The citizens of Agua Fria assumed that this Arizonan Ranger was going to be another casually-- the 21st kill; instead, the Ranger's quickdraw was so fast and precise that Texas Red was killed instantly before the latter could even draw his gun.

* AssumedWin: In "Big Iron", Texas Red already easily killed 20 men who tried to arrest him in the past-- thanks to his extreme sharpshooting skills. The citizens of Agua Fria assumed that this Arizonan Ranger was going to be another casually-- the 21st kill; instead, the Ranger's quickdraw was so fast and precise that Texas Red died instantly before the latter could even draw his gun.

* AssumedWin: In "Big Iron", Texas Red already easily killed 20 men who tried to arrest him in the past--- thanks to his extreme sharpshooting skills. The citizens of Agua Fria assumed that this Arizonan Ranger was going to be another casually--- the 21st kill; instead, the Ranger's quickdraw was so fast and precise that Texas Red died instantly before the latter could even draw his gun.

* AssumedWin: In "Big Iron", Texas Red already easily killed 20 men who tried to arrest him in the past thanks to his extreme sharpshooting skills. The citizens of Agua Fria assumed that this Arizonan Ranger was going to be another casually--- the 21st kill; instead, the Ranger's quickdraw was so fast and precise that Texas Red died instantly before the latter could even draw his gun.

* Assumed Win: In "Big Iron", Texas Red already easily killed 20 men who tried to arrest him in the past thanks to his extreme sharpshooting skills. The Arizonan Ranger was expected to be another casually; instead, the Ranger's quickdraw was so fast and precise that Texas Red died instantly before the latter could even draw his gun.

* Showdown at High Noon: "Big Iron", where The Ranger duels Texas Red. Technically the duel started at '20 past 11', but is essentially the same kind of duel.

** MurderTheHypotenuse: The murderer in "They're Hanging Me Tonight" comes to kill a suitor pursuing the woman he loves, and is filled with remorse as he awaits his hanging after murdering both of them.

* QuickDraw: The nameless ranger in "Big Iron". Even the fearsome Texas Red can't get his gun out of the holster before the ranger drops him. The protagonist of "Running Gun" sadly describes how his killer's weapon "flashed like lightning" before he even had the chance to get his own gun out.

* DoggedNiceGuy: The protagonist of "El Paso" is madly in love with a Mexican woman named Faleena, who doesn't give him the time of day. When her boyfriend, a wild cowboy, arrives and starts flirting with her, he murders the man and runs off out the back door, steals a horse, and flees to the New Mexico badlands. This seemingly earns her love, as she cradles him in her arms and kisses his forehead as he bleeds out after choosing to back, preferring to die at the hands of a posse rather than live without her, but it could also be interpreted as him imagining receiving the affections of the object of his obsession in a DyingDream. The sequel song “Feleena (From El Paso) [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] this, fleshing out both characters. There, it’s told that Feleena and the narrator had been courting for six weeks before the fateful gunfight.

* DoggedNiceGuy: The protagonist of "El Paso" is madly in love with a Mexican woman named Faleena, who doesn't give him the time of day. When her boyfriend, a wild cowboy, arrives and starts flirting with her, he murders the man and runs off out the back door, steals a horse, and flees to the New Mexico badlands. This seemingly earns her love, as she cradles him in her arms and kisses his forehead as he bleeds out after choosing to back, preferring to die at the hands of a posse rather than live without her, but it could also be interpreted as him imagining receiving the affections of the object of his obsession in a DyingDream.

-->"As my strength was slowly fading, I could see him walk away/ And I knew that where I lie today, he too must lie some day...''

* VillainProtagonist: Both {{Murder Ballads}} and "Billy the Kid."

* DoggedNiceGuy: The protagonist of "El Paso" is madly in love with a Mexican woman named Faleena, who doesn't give him the time of day. When her boyfriend, a wild cowboy, arrives and starts flirting with her, he murders the man and runs off out the back door to the New Mexico badlands. This seemingly earns her love, as she cradles him in her arms and kisses his forehead as he bleeds out after coming back, preferring to die at the hands of a posse rather than live without her, but it could also be interpreted as him imagining receiving the affections of the object of his obsession in a DyingDream.

-->"There's many a man with a face fine and fair/Who start out in life with a chance to be square/Just like poor Billy they wander astray/They'll lose their lives in the very same way...''

** Partially overlaps with PalsWithJesus, though PlayedForDrama.

* QuickDraw: The nameless ranger in "Big Iron". Even the fearsome Texas Red can't get his gun out of the holster before the ranger drops him. The protagonist of "Running Gun" sadly describes how his killer's weapon "flashed like lightning."

* VillainSong: "Billy The Kid".

* FastestGunInTheWest: Both Texas Red and UsefulNotes/BillyTheKid are introduced as such, having taken down twenty comers each. But everyone's luck runs out eventually...

* ConceptAlbum: All songs are about life in the Wild West, featuring a lot of romanticism of the wild cowboy life.

* DeadAllAlong: The narrator of "El Paso"; shot upon his return and kisses Faleena as he dies.

* LocationSong: "El Paso", about a cowboy who fled the town after shooting down a cowboy making advances at his girlfriend.

** MurderTheHypotenuse: The murderer in "El Paso" comes to kill a suitor pursuing the woman he loves.

* {{Outlaw}}: Multiple:
** "Running Gun"
** "They're Hanging Me Tonight"
** "Billy The Kid"
** "The Master's Call"

* QuickDraw: The nameless ranger in "Big Iron". Even the fearsome Texas Red can't get his gun out of the holster before the ranger drops him.
* RealMenLoveJesus: The protagonist of "The Master's Call" suddenly sees a cross and hears the voice of God in a lightning strike. A second lightning strike then saves his life from a stampede with miraculous precision.
* RetiredOutlaw: The protagonist of "The Master's Call" presumably gives up his life of crime after finding religion.